LaMelo Ball had a plan before he returned to the floor in Houston.

Watching from the bench, he studied how the game was unfolding and identified opportunities he believed he could use. When Minnesota needed someone to take control of a close fourth quarter, he was ready.

“I just seen the game from the side, and I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, when I get back in, I know what I can do,’” Ball said afterward. What followed helped turn a difficult night into Minnesota’s most impressive win since Anthony Edwards underwent knee surgery.

Ball scored 12 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves beat the Rockets 117-107 on Wednesday. During one four-minute stretch, he scored or assisted on 15 consecutive Minnesota points, taking the Wolves from three behind to four ahead.

The performance gave Chris Finch something he had been asking his new point guard to provide: aggression that creates good possessions for the entire team.

“You put the ball in his hands down the stretch, and he just made the right play after the right play after the right play,” Finch said. Ball kept trusting his teammates, Finch explained, and those teammates trusted the next pass. That sequence of decisions allowed Minnesota to pull away from a Houston team that entered the night 7-1.

It was a different assignment from the one Ball initially took on after arriving in Minnesota.

Finch said Ball began the season concentrating on setting up teammates and developing chemistry. His connection with Edwards formed quickly, and he was comfortable facilitating while the Wolves’ leading scorer handled a substantial share of the offense.

Edwards’ absence changed what Minnesota needed.

“Ant goes out, we need him to be more aggressive in all the ways,” Finch said. “Obviously playmaking, but also for himself to score.”

Finding that balance has been uneven. Ball’s early Minnesota performances included productive stretches interrupted by turnovers, difficult shooting nights and foul trouble. Against Houston, he still finished with seven turnovers. His closing performance showed how much influence he can have when his scoring threat and passing work together.

Ball did not offer a detailed tactical explanation afterward. He described letting the game come to him and using what he had observed while watching. The result was an offense that could generate its next opportunity without requiring him to finish every possession himself.

Jonathan Kuminga supplied two important corner threes late. Ayo Dosunmu had helped keep Minnesota competitive earlier, attacking the basket and pushing the pace. Ball’s decisions connected those contributions during the stretch that decided the game.

Finch’s assessment went beyond the individual scoring. “As much as anything, I thought we controlled the game with our offense, with our decision-making,” he said.

That mattered against a team capable of punishing mistakes and creating additional possessions on the offensive glass. Minnesota needed stops, but it also needed useful possessions when it recovered the ball.

Dosunmu described the defensive priority as limiting Houston to one shot and making catches difficult. The Wolves paired that work with an offense that increasingly found the correct response. Ball also pointed to the developing understanding between himself and Rudy Gobert.

“We all just working with each other day by day, so it’s getting easier and easier,” he said. “He know what I’m trying to do. I know what he trying to do now.”

That familiarity is particularly valuable while Minnesota adjusts to playing without Edwards. Ball is learning where his teammates can help him, while they learn how to create openings he can recognize and exploit.

One victory does not complete that process. Houston did, however, provide a meaningful test of whether Minnesota could execute late against a strong opponent.

“We’ve been trying to reinvent ourselves since Anthony went down,” Finch said. “Every time you get a win like this, it builds confidence in what you’re trying to do.”

Ball’s view from the bench helped him recognize what the game offered. His decisions after returning helped Minnesota take it.